Before the main act the MC for the evening sits on a low chair. A small man with a slow, soft, drowsy Bristol burr; he starts to reminisce. Slowly. Carefully. He tells of the “best time of my life”. Of The Troubadour in Clifton, the home of Bristol’s folk and blues, and seeing some the greats of the 60s scene. Names tumble from the stage. Renbourne and Jansch. John Martyn and Paul Simon. Memories shrouded in insense and cider. He creates a world that seems a million miles from Pokemon Go, manufactured bands and Brexit. Then he introduces Sunjay – “He would have fitted right in”. No pressure on a 22 year old from Stourbridge then.
Good luck.
Our MC’s not far wrong though. Sunjay is a throwback in the best kind of way. From his 60s bowl cut and all-in-black beatnik garb to the Greenwich Village tunesmith-ery, you could imagine him sipping coffee through a fug of patchouli and cigarette smoke. There’s something else too though. Think about those nights when you were younger. When the third bottle of red wine was lying empty and the candles were almost burned down. When that cool friend of yours was telling stories, flipping through albums and playing just the very best tracks; “No Regrets” by The Walker Brothers (or Tom Rush), “May you Never” by John Martyn, an amazing version of “St James Infirmary Blues”. Each one accompanied by a yarn as daft and funny and as a practised as a stand-up. Sunjay makes us feel as though the sun is still hours away from coming up, that there are still tunes to hear and tales to tell. And, oh, can he play that guitar?
By all accounts he started playing at 4 years old. Strumming to 50s Rock & Roll at first but developing some serious finger picking blues after that. Time and time again he shows his virtuosity. “Can’t Do It Alone” is filled with moments that are intricate and glistening. There’s something almost Led Zeppelin-esque about the opening bars of “Hold On”, a track from his forthcoming album, and the end of “Street Riot” incorporates a snatch of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony No. 6. It’s the kind of playing that makes the Downend audience say, simply, “Wow”. And they do. More than once.
The set is littered with fantastic tunes. Covers of “Something Good by Herman’s Hermits (lovely singing everyone!), Tim Hardin’s “Reason to Believe” and the peerless “Who Do You Love?” by Bo Diddly sit together with songs of his own. “Ghost Train”, in particular, is pretty special. Shot through with a love of American culture and a need for heroes it perfectly showcases Sunjay at his best; brilliant playing, fine singing and the conjuring of a timeless mood.
Creating her own “mood” was the support for the evening. Lara Conley is another artist who nods towards the 60s. There are slightly off-kilter instruments (a stick dulcimer anyone?) and the merest hint of psych-folk, there’s a touch of alt-folk genius Vashti Bunyan about her too. And that is no bad thing. Hidden amongst the delicate melodies and hushed tone there is an anger and a sense of purpose that shines through. Her best songs are the ones which explore the folklore and power of women; “Herd the Horses” and “Wild Water” are beautiful. By the end of her set you could hear a pin drop.
Both acts this evening create their own worlds and, on balance, theirs looks a whole lot better than ours at the moment.
Gavin McNamara
TallFolk 